• Herman Miller Aeron Chair B PostureFit
• 12-year Herman Miller warranty with Born-On-Date sticker.
• Comes with a PostureFit back support
• Promotes healthy posture

Product Description

Exceeding all expectations and standards of its predecessors, the Aeron Chair, with its 12-year warranty, has become the new benchmark in the arena of ergonomic office, seating.

 

I understand why the Aeron gets mixed reviews for comfort, and have come to peace with this. For years, I have sat in my companys Aerons, for hours at a time, and loved them. They were comfortable and I wanted one. So, I bought one. I brought it home, sat in it, and within 10 minutes my legs were tingling and after an hour my back and legs were aching. I tried the chair again the next day and had the same problem. The model I bought was a size "B" Aeron. I returned it today for a size "C" (1.5 inches longer seat depth). Now, my legs feel fine. So what gives?

The Caveat: If the Herman Miller sizing chart shows you to be an A/B or B/C - in other words, capable of using a B or C sized seat in my case, watch out. While you might normally think this means that you could theoretically fit in either seat, what it really means is you have a borderline condition and you need to dig deeper. The B sized seat was painful for me, even though the chart implied I would be comfortable with that size. On the front of the Aeron seat, below the mesh, is a foam crescent-shaped insert. If you get the wrong sized seat (for your actual needs, not for what the chart says), the foam crescent applies a LOT of pressure on the exact wrong part of your thighs. I found the pressure from the B sized seat crescent to be absolutely intolerable. Fortunately, my local retailer let me swap the chair out.

The C size seat adds about 1.5 inches to the seat depth (the distance from the front edge to the rear edge) and, on me, that extra distance moves the crescent forward enough to shift the pressure point to a part of my leg that is less sensitive. I now have no pain in my legs. The point to all this? Use the sizing chart as a basic guide, but if you plan to buy an Aeron, you need to sit in the chair first and size it up for yourself, especially if you are between sizes.

Here is a point on the lumbar support vs. the Posturefit unit. The lumbar support is just a block of rubberish plastic pressing against your back. It works, but if you put it in the wrong place, it will be a pain. The Posturefit unit is more refined and allows a degree of tuning that the lumbar unit does not. However, either can be painful if set incorrectly for your needs. Set correctly, each contributes to your posture.

In conclusion, the Aeron is well-built, really cool and expensive. However, if you get the wrong size - even if Herman Miller thinks the size is a good fit - it will be a pain and you will hate it - absolutely hate it! Remember that these are chairs, not feather beds. Dont build up a false expectation - driven by excessive marketing hype - that sitting in the chair will be some orgasmic experience. Whenever you sit, your skin, muscles, nerves and bones experience pressure. Until Herman Miller repeals physics, pressure = potential discomfort. The Aeron reduces but does not magically eliminate the potential for discomfort. For me, it took 2 chairs and a lot of research and knob twisting to get an acceptable (but not perfect) level of comfort. Take care in your selection!